Graduate Studies – The Brock Newshttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/category/faculty-staff/graduate-studies/
A news source for Brock University, St. Catharines, OntarioThu, 24 May 2018 19:37:33 +0000en-CAhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.5https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/hon-docs-spring-convocation-2018-600x450.jpgThree trailblazers in their field to receive honorary degrees at Brock’s Spring Convocationhttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/three-trailblazers-in-their-field-to-receive-honorary-degrees-at-brocks-spring-convocation/
Thu, 24 May 2018 18:18:19 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=51174A global health researcher, a Canadian union leader and a world-renowned photographer will be awarded honorary doctorates from Brock University during the upcoming Spring Convocation.

This year’s Spring Convocation will include nine ceremonies over five days from June 4 to 8 in the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium at Brock University’s Walker Sports Complex. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day except for Friday, June 8, when only a morning ceremony is scheduled.

Receiving honorary degrees this year will be Dr. James Orbinski, former President of Doctors Without Borders and a respected global health researcher; Hassan Yussuff, the first-ever Human Rights Director of the Canadian Auto Workers union and now President of the Canadian Labour Congress; and Edward Burtynsky, a St. Catharines native whose industrial landscape photography has appeared in more than 60 museums around the world.

Convocation ceremonies are open to the public and tickets are not required. A reception for graduates, family and guests will follow each ceremony.

Monday, June 4, 10 a.m. — Dr. James Orbinski, Director, Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research at York University

As a young man, Dr. James Orbinski’s career goal was fairly straightforward: become a medical doctor committed to helping people.

But what he has learned in a remarkable span of more than three decades focused on global health research and humanitarian work is that career paths are anything but straightforward.

“There is a myth that all you have to do is decide your destination and there’s a route you can take. But that’s not how my life works or how most people’s lives work,” said Orbinski, a professor and inaugural Director of York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

Orbinski will be given an honorary doctorate from Brock University Monday, June 4 during the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences morning Convocation ceremony. His message to students will be to focus more on pursuing a question than a defined career path.

“Being as clear as possible about the question and the intention of the question is the most important factor. It has led me on what is, in retrospect, quite a varied career path,” he said.

The question that drove Orbinski was what is the best way to acknowledge and enhance human dignity?

“Human dignity as the most important object of pursuit. You apply the best science and the best medical knowledge to that pursuit,” he said.

A recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross, Canada’s highest civilian award, as well as the Order of Ontario and Order of Canada, Orbinski served as the Chief of Mission to Rwanda with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) during the 1994 genocide. His work with MSF also took him to Peru, Brazil, Somalia, Afghanistan, Zaire, Sudan, Russia, Cambodia and numerous other countries. Elected as the organization’s international President from 1998-2001, Orbinski accepted the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Doctors Without Borders in 1999.

From 2001-04, he co-chaired the organization’s Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, which has developed seven new treatments for neglected tropical diseases, and has 30 others in its pipeline. In 2004, Orbinski co-founded Dignitas International, which researches health systems and clinical practices and now supports more than 300,000 people with full treatment for HIV and AIDS in Malawi. Dignitas also works with First Nations communities in Northern Canada on community-based interventions for diabetes.

Orbinski holds a BSc from Trent University, an MD degree from McMaster University, and an MA in international relations from the University of Toronto. He was a co-founder of McMaster’s Health Reach Program that investigates and promotes the health of children in war zones.

He served as Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto from 2003-12 and the CIGI Chair in Global Health Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and Wilfrid Laurier University from 2012-17. Orbinski was then named the inaugural Director of York’s Dahdaleh Institute in September 2017, where he says the goal is to make the Institute a leader in addressing planetary health, global health and humanitarianism and global health fore-sighting.

“The future is ours to make,” Orbinski said when asked what his message to students might be. “It will be made on a path that’s made by walking. It’s not a determined future. Our choices matter and how we apply our mind, our time, our energy and our commitment to basic human dignity will determine the nature of that path.”

A lifelong commitment to human rights has guided the career of Hassan Yussuff for more than 40 years.

Yussuff became a union member soon after immigrating from Guyana in the 1970s and was elected union chair at the age of 19. He climbed the ranks of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), eventually becoming the organization’s first Human Rights Director.

After serving for 15 years as Executive Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress, Yussuff was elected President in 2014, becoming the first person of colour to lead Canada’s union movement. Over his two terms as President, he has led Canada’s unions in a major campaign to improve workplace rights for everyone and dramatically transform the way Canadians view the labour movement.

“My work has been really about how we as Canadians and as working people can make this country a better place for people,” said Yussuff, who will receive an honorary doctorate from Brock University during Spring Convocation on Tuesday, June 5. “It’s very important in terms of people following their dreams and fighting for the things we believe in and knowing everyone can make a difference.”

Yussuff’s time as President of the Canadian Labour Council has focused heavily on the country’s social programs, such as calling for universal prescription drug coverage for all Canadians. He has also pushed for legislation to grant paid leave for survivors of domestic violence, address harassment and violence in the workplace, enshrine rights for migrant workers, and enact a national ban on asbestos.

Yussuff, who also serves as President of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, said he was humbled and overwhelmed when told he would receive his first honorary doctorate. He said he’s looking forward to addressing the graduands.

“I’m deeply honoured to be in their midst recognizing what a special moment it is to them and their family,” he said. “I think their graduation speaks to both their hopes and those of their parents, who maybe didn’t get to go to university. What these graduates do in their lives at this stage has a lot to do with our collective work in making the country a better place.”

His remarkable photographs of industrial landscapes have been included in the collections of more than 60 major museums around the world, but it was in his hometown of St. Catharines that Edward Burtynsky first learned his craft.

Known as one of Canada’s most respected photographers, Burtynsky was influenced early in his career by the images of Niagara’s General Motors plants. His images explore the collective impact we’re having on the planet, looking at the human systems we’ve imposed onto natural landscapes.

Burtynsky received his BAA in Photography/Media Studies from Ryerson University in 1982 and a few years later launched Toronto Image Works, a darkroom rental facility, custom photo lab, digital imaging and new media computer-training centre catering to all levels of Toronto’s art community.

While he is an active lecturer on photographic art across North America, his images have appeared in the biggest publications in the world such as National Geographic and the New York Times, and have been included in installations at the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and many others.

Awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006, Burtynsky has also won the TED Prize, the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, the Outreach award at the Rencontres d’Arles, the Roloff Beny Book award, and the Rogers Best Canadian Film award.

When he receives an honorary doctorate from Brock University on Friday, June 8, it will be Burtynsky’s ninth such degree.

Most recently, Burtynsky unveiled his first Augmented Reality installation at Photo London, where he was honoured as the 2018 Master of Photography. The installation allows viewers to explore the recycling of automotive machine parts from a scrap yard in Accra, Ghana in 3D.

“I like to think of photography 1.0 as the invention of photography and photography 2.0 as the evolution of photography to digital and the move from film and paper to everything on a chip,” Burtynsky said. “Now, for me, photography 3.0 is the use of the digital camera to capture an object in the third dimension.”

He said powerful imaging software and advancements in computing power has allowed him to create installations inviting viewers “directly into the photograph to scale with the objects, even allowing them to magnify and see the detailed minutia.”

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/themes/the-brock-news/images/tbn-placeholder-600x-450.jpgThesis defences — May 22 to 25https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/thesis-defences-may-22-to-25/
Fri, 18 May 2018 13:32:51 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=51085The following is a list of thesis defences taking place at Brock from May 22 to 25.

All are open for the University community to attend.

Sustainability Science and Society MS thesis defence

Sustainability Science and Society student Lydia Collas will defend the thesis, “Decision-Making in Agriculture: Why Do Farmers Decide to Adopt a New Practice?” on Wednesday, May 23 at 1 p.m. in CRN 209 M.

When the clock strikes noon on Wednesday, May 23, hundreds of the University’s employees will visit the Wellness Day website in hopes of securing a spot in their favourite workshop at the June 14 event.

Last year, 578 employees registered for the annual conference, with many workshops reaching capacity within an hour. Registration closes June 6 at 4:30 p.m.

Although traditionally held on campus, the majority of workshops will take place off campus this year. Thenew format allows for the addition of workshops that would normally be difficult or impossible to host at Brock, such as chocolate decorating and a tour ofChocolate F/X in Virgil, retail therapy atThe Outlet Collection at Niagara in Niagara-on-the-Lake and escape room games atThe Crux Escape Rooms in St. Catharines.

“It’s going to be exciting for employees to venture off campus this year,” said Kathryn Walker, Manager, Health Management and Wellness. “Participating in a workshop at a venue designed for that activity offers employees a more authentic experience.”

All workshops will be half-day sessions with courtesy shuttles transporting employees to and from off-campus locations.

As in year’s past, the day will feature an opening plenary. In her 25-minute keynote,Roxanne Derhodgewill speak about how small acts of kindness can make a great impact.

The popular penny sale will also be back, although the hours have changed. The fundraiser will take place in Thistle Hallway outside of the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre the day before Wellness Day on June 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as the morning of Wellness Day from 8 to 10 a.m.

Additional changes to this year’s format include a complimentary hot breakfast on campus instead of lunch, and the elimination of closing remarks. The annual bike raffle and theHealth, Safety and Wellness Champion Award presentation will take place at the opening plenary in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre. Employees can also expect to print out their itineraries in advance of the conference as there will not be a registration table this year.

The new format was introduced to aid Human Resources staff — who dedicate time each year to managing Wellness Day — with the launch of Project Mosaic, which takes place two weeks later. There are also several community events taking place on campus that week, limiting available space to host lunch and workshops.

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Rankin-Family-Pavilion-announcement-2-RS-600x450.jpegBrock’s new main entrance to be named in honour of Rankin familyhttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/brocks-new-main-entrance-to-be-named-in-honour-of-rankin-family/
Wed, 16 May 2018 18:22:46 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=51029The new front door to Brock University officially has a name.

The transformational construction project that is giving a new look to the base of the iconic Schmon Tower when it opens this fall, will be known as the Rankin Family Pavilion, named to honour a significant donation by Niagara businessman Tom Rankin.

The $2-million gift was announced Wednesday, May 16 before Rankin toured the construction site with Brock President Gervan Fearon and other University officials.

First announced in November 2016, the $19-million Brock LINC project moved forward with funding from both the federal and provincial governments. The Rankin Family Pavilion will be a striking two-storey complex that will provide space for students to gather and to nurture Niagara’s growing culture of innovation.

Project Manager Scott Roper shows Tom Rankin the different finishes that will be used in the Rankin Family Pavilion.

The project is converting the former open-air pedestrian mall in front of Schmon Tower into a modern, purpose-built 41,000-square-foot research, innovation and commercialization centre that places entrepreneurship at the entranceway to the University.

It will provide the Brock community with the space to experience and experiment with entrepreneurship and will add a strategic asset within Niagara’s innovation ecosystem that supports a greater number of research and development partnerships between Brock and Niagara’s businesses and social organizations. Brock is known for its leadership in experiential and co-op education, and the new facilities will advance entrepreneurial teaching and learning at Brock.

“Students and researchers will work alongside entrepreneurs, industry partners, community members and social service groups,” said Brock University Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon. “They will combine their disciplines in the pursuit of open-ended innovation that seeks to improve public services or create new enterprises for Ontario’s knowledge-based economy.”

Rankin, a well-known Niagara businessman who started Rankin Construction in 1978 and a former Brock University Board of Trustees member, said the space will be a central hub for the University.

“With the Maj.-Gen Isaac Brock statue right in front of it and the Goodman School of Business right there, everything kind of emanates from that spot,” he said.

Rankin is thrilled to be supporting a project he has been thinking about for years.

“A number of years ago when I was on the Board of Trustees I had this idea of closing it in. I saw the potential in making this a real focal point for the University,” he said. “It’s going to be a great front entrance to Brock.”

Fearon thanked Rankin for his generosity, and said public institutions such as Brock rely on the support from their community.

“For years now, Brock University’s students, faculty and staff have benefited greatly from the generosity of Tom Rankin,” said Fearon. “His support has been invaluable. And now he is once again demonstrating the importance that he places on post-secondary education within our community of Niagara, and for that we are extremely grateful.”

The Rankin Family Pavilion further makes Brock an outstanding attractive university for students to pursue their post-secondary education goals, he added.

Not only is Rankin Construction a respected company behind major civil projects such as the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, Rankin is known as a generous philanthropist whose impact on the community includes the annual Rankin Cancer Run, which has raised $7.5 million for local cancer care facilities.

In 2017, Rankin was the recipient of the Niagara Region’s T. Roy Adams Humanitarian of the Year Award and was honoured with an honorary doctorate by Brock.

“I grew up in Catholic schools and we were always taught to be generous to your fellow human beings,” Rankin said. “I often say I’m an entrepreneur with a conscience. I’ve never been in business just to make money.”

The Rankin Family Pavilion is expected to open this fall.

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Thinkstock-computer-technology-typing-RS-600x450.jpgBrock warning to staff and faculty about email titled “from President Gervan Fearon”https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/brock-warning-to-staff-and-faculty-about-email-titled-from-president-gervan-fearon/
Wed, 16 May 2018 14:20:13 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=51025Brock Campus Security and IT Services has become aware of a phishing email sent to @brocku.ca email account holders appearing to come from Brock University President Gervan Fearon.

Please be aware that this message was not sent by the President and is an attempt to access your account information.

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Jamie-Mandigo-at-Global-Scholars-reception-600x450.jpgBrock welcomes global scholars to campushttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/brock-welcomes-global-scholars-to-campus/
Tue, 15 May 2018 14:05:17 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=51012Brilliant minds from a dozen countries around the world are now continuing their work at Brock.

The University recently held its We Welcome the World Reception, celebrating the arrival of international scholars who have chosen to come to St. Catharines to further their research in their respective fields.

The flags of their home nations — Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Iran, South Korea, Turkey and the U.S. — decorated the walls on Pond Inlet on Tuesday, May 8, as the international guests were formally welcomed on campus.

Hosted by the Global Scholars Office, a department within Brock International Services, the event recognized and welcomed visiting international professors as well as scholars and participants of the University Mentorship (UM) program.

Members of Brock University’s senior administration were on hand, including President Gervan Fearon, who addressed the group of 40 guests, and James Mandigo, Vice-Provost for Enrolment Management and International.

“Internationalization plays a vital role in the Brock community, and hosting professors and scholars from around the world cultivates a campus culture that embodies both global diversity and interconnectivity,” Mandigo said.

No one was more excited for her stay than Rocio Belen Duran Guajardo, a PhD candidate from Chile studying Chemistry as part of the UM program.

“The University is beautiful and the people are so kind and respectful,” she said.

While earning her PhD, Guajardo must complete an internship in her field of study, making her time at Brock important to her future career aspirations.

She was drawn to Brock by the work of Associate Professor Travis Dudding, who is hosting her during her stay.

In the brief period that they have worked together, Dudding said that Guajardo has been “an absolute pleasure to work with.”

During her time at Brock, she will be using high-performance computing to design new types of hydrogen bond catalysts that are synthesizing in their team’s lab. As Dudding explains, the catalysts are showing a wide range of useful applications.

Representing all Faculties, the visiting scholars and professors will assist their hosts in a range of academic activities in the coming months, including teaching courses in their area of expertise and collaborating on research projects.

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Kaitlyn-Kerridge-Jonathan-Brower-Shasha-Hu-RS-600x450.jpgGrad students recognize boost provided by donor supporthttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/grad-students-recognize-boost-provided-by-donor-support/
Mon, 14 May 2018 16:34:14 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=50979It wasn’t until he started at Brock University that Jonathan Brower was able to marry his passions: theatre, LGBTQ2 studies and spirituality.

During the Graduate Student Awards and Donor Recognition Celebration held on campus Thursday, May 10, the Master of Social Justice and Equity Studies student spoke about how the University and its donors have made a difference in his life.

An actor, playwright and producer, Brower told the more than 100 guests in attendance about how support from donors allows him to focus on his research and continue artistic pursuits, without having to worry about financial pressures.

“For research to truly be enriched, you need to be able to immerse yourself in it completely,” he said. “Support from donors allows me to focus my creative energy on academia, rather than having to worry about how my bills are being paid. Every layer of support I have received lifts me closer to success.”

Donor Irmgard Penner, right, with her award recipient, Shashu Hu.

Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the awards event celebrated student success and thanked donors for their generous support of graduate students.

Brower was the recipient of multiple awards at the celebration: a Bluma Appel Graduate Entrance Scholarship for Excellence in Social Sciences, the Scotiabank Graduate Award and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council CGS Master’s Scholarship.

Brower came to Niagara from Calgary, where he co-founded and ran a queer theatre company and wrote and produced a play, oblivion, about the struggle to reconcile faith and sexuality. The production toured Canada over three years, visiting major cities including Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, with a stop in St. Catharines last year.

Starting his master’s at Brock seemed a fitting next step for the student researcher, whose work explores “queer religious agency through narrative inquiry and applied theatre.”

“My own experience as a queer person in the Christian faith was marginalized, which led to the creation of oblivion,” Brower said. “This thesis project takes things a step further using collective theatre creation to bring the experiences of queer individuals from different faith backgrounds into conversation.”

Also among Thursday’s award winners was Shasha Hu, a PhD candidate in Biological Sciences who received two honours.

She was nervous to share her story with the crowd, but lit up as she began speaking about her research.

Studying under the supervision of Michael Bidochka, Hu came to Brock from China and is researching Metarhzium, a fungus that kills pests but promotes plant growth and protects plants from pathogens.

She is looking to find a way for the fungus to create more spores, ultimately promoting it as a biocontrol agent in agriculture.

At Thursday’s celebration, Brock President Gervan Fearon said Brock’s generous donors “show incredible commitment to our graduate students and to the University through not only their funds, but also their encouragement.”

“It is wonderful to see so many donors here connecting with the recipients of their awards,” he said.

Fearon went on to emphasize the the high quality of research being produced by Brock students.

“Over the past year, I have been fortunate to speak with many graduate students and the one commonality I see between them is that they are all truly contributing to the betterment of Niagara, and transforming our world.”

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SWACC-conference-600x450.jpgBrock’s women leaders moved to action after conferencehttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/brocks-women-leaders-moved-to-action-after-conference/
Fri, 11 May 2018 13:49:00 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=50969A national conference focused on increasing and improving opportunities for women in leadership roles within academia has inspired some of Brock’s own senior administrators.

Deans Diane Dupont, Ingrid Makus and Carol Merriam, along with Associate Deans Angela Book and Cheryl McCormick, made up the Brock contingent attending the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) conference in Halifax at the end of April.

“Academic leadership is a different experience for women, and attending a gathering of so many smart and accomplished women leaders really was refreshing and inspiring,” said Merriam, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

Dupont, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, found the keynote and panel sessions to be especially useful.

“Hearing that other administrators face similar challenges and learning how they have solved issues was inspiring,” she said. “I think the most important lesson was the role that having a network of trusted advisors can play in one’s success.”

Makus, recently appointed Dean of Social Sciences after a two-year term as Interim Dean, agreed. “What I found most compelling about the conference was the candour, humour and thoughtfulness with which these very accomplished women addressed the challenges and rewards of leadership in a university setting that is becoming increasingly complex,” she said.

“Participants emphasized that positive action included creating spaces where authentic representation could take place and where diverse voices could be heard. This is one of the challenges I’d like to take up as Dean of Social Sciences.”

Each of the attendees had different takeaways from the event.

McCormick, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Math and Science, was struck by the fact that “despite all of the challenges faced, the women truly enjoyed the work they were doing as administrators.”

Book, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences, was inspired by “the focus on authentic leadership.”

But all five leaders agree that more can be done within the Brock community to encourage women to take on leadership roles.

To this end, the group is considering developing a workshop to help share some of the wisdom and insight that the conference provided, and to foster talent in younger colleagues who may be interested in an administrative role at the University.

“I want to include not just academics, but also women involved in administrative roles that are not academic,” Dupont said. “I met a number of women at the conference who were not academics but were academic administrators. I want to help us cultivate connections between both academics and non-academics who are involved in university administration.”

Merriam said that among the great challenges for women in leadership positions, or those aspiring to such roles, is “visibility — being seen as leaders or potential leaders, and seeing themselves as leaders.”

“If we can help our women colleagues see themselves filling leadership roles, and help women be visible as leaders and potential leaders, then our time at SWAAC will have been very well spent indeed.”

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/VoulaMarinos-600x450.jpgBrock professor to be featured in police training videohttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/brock-professor-to-be-featured-in-police-training-video/
Wed, 09 May 2018 15:25:02 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=50918A new training video produced by Innocence Canada will feature a Brock University criminology expert.

Voula Marinos, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies, who holds a PhD in Criminology, has devoted the past 13 years to exploring the complexities of the justice system’s responses to persons with mental illness and intellectual and developmental disabilities. She researches the gaps between law and practice, and how judges, lawyers and police are trained on the human rights of vulnerable populations.

“I care deeply about how the criminal justice system responds to individuals suspected or accused of a criminal offence,” says Marinos. “These are often marginalized and vulnerable populations.”

Innocence Canada says it’s producing the video because beyond just identifying vulnerabilities, “police need expert training on how to adapt their standard interview technique when dealing with suspects from marginalized communities and other vulnerable suspects.”

Marinos will contribute training that will help prepare law enforcement officers to identify persons with mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities and interact with them more effectively.

Alongside its work in exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals — including David Milgaard, Guy Paul Morin and roughly 80 claims under review — Innocence Canada (formerly known as the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted) has been developing training for police services since 2015.

Marinos first became involved with the organization last fall when it asked her to present some of her research to the Ontario Bar Association — research that will now inform her portion of the training video.

The talk, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: False Guilty Pleas and Wrongful Convictions,” was based on research funded by the Council for Research in the Social Sciences on plea bargaining, how guilty pleas are made by clients and the advantages and disadvantages of those decisions for accused, the system and lawyers.

The presentation focused on work conducted by Marinos, along with her colleague Dorothy Griffiths and several graduate and undergraduate students in Brock’s Department of Child and Youth Studies, on the challenges faced by persons with mental health and intellectual and developmental disabilities within the criminal justice system.

“In the video I acknowledge the difficult job police officers have in being the main gatekeepers of the criminal process,” says Marinos. “One of the biggest challenges for a police officer is to be prepared to respond to individuals regardless of their range of backgrounds from differences in age, gender, race or ability to different personalities, expectations and emotional states.

“By understanding how a person with an intellectual and developmental disability might present or behave, police can also consider whether they should be accepting at face value everything that is said or communicated. This is critical when it comes to individuals answering questions by police and giving potentially false confessions and guilty pleas.”

In the training video, which was filmed in April, Marinos offers a number of key indicators police can use to identify persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Marinos’ research has shown there is sometimes confusion among lawyers and police about the distinction between mental illness and intellectual and developmental disabilities. When this confusion is combined with assumptions that an individual’s disability will be easy to spot, or that an individual will disclose their lack of understanding and ask for clarification and assistance, serious problems can arise.

]]>https://brocku.ca/brock-news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hudlicky-600x450.jpegBrock prof’s Canada Research Chair position renewed for third termhttps://brocku.ca/brock-news/2018/05/brock-profs-canada-research-chair-position-renewed-for-third-time/
Tue, 08 May 2018 20:02:43 +0000https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=50894He’s helping to make cancer drugs more effective, and on Thursday, May 3, the federal government announced that Brock University chemist Tomas Hudlicky, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Organic Synthesis and Biocatalysis, has been renewed for a third term.

For more than 25 years, Hudlicky has studied the use of biological methods to manufacture chemicals with the aim of making “new and active derivatives available for the manufacture of anti-cancer drugs,” he says.

Through the Canada Research Chairs program, the Government of Canada invests around $265 million each year to fund post-secondary research by some of the top experts across engineering, natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.

Hudlicky was first selected for a seven-year CRC term in 2003, and that was renewed again in 2010. His third term will take the Brock researcher into 2024.

Through his research, the Professor of Chemistry has made a number of breakthroughs. Last year, a team of scientists tested out several variations of the compound pancratistatin (PST) that Hudlicky had created and patented.

The results of the tests, conducted on 20 different types of cancer cells, showed that Hudlicky’s compound appears to be capable of killing cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. The PST substance is found in the spider lily and been shown to cause cancer cells to die, but its very low rate of natural production is a major challenge to research and clinical advancement.

The construction of new drugs involves manufacturing what are known as unnatural derivatives of natural compounds such as PST or narciclasine, a congener of PST that is more available from natural sources.

These derivatives are available through chemical synthesis from Hudlicky’s laboratory. He and other chemists artificially enhance a natural compound’s properties through synthesis of derivatives.

Hudlicky says it’s still not clear how and why PST brings about cell death, but said some of the new synthetic derivatives made in his laboratory “are actually more potent and more bioavailable than the natural compounds.”

Bioavailability measures how much of a substance such as a drug is absorbed into a living system and how quickly it is absorbed.

Hudlicky is continuing research on discovering and manufacturing anti-cancer compounds that can be used in drugs to treat the disease. With funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and a Canadian pharmaceutical company, he is developing derivatives of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, some of which are isolated from daffodils and snowdrops.

The professor has also formed a partnership with McMaster University Chemistry Professor James McNulty to develop more compounds that can be used in effective cancer treatment, efficient pro-drug design and other commercial uses.